


A Mutual Feeling

by GreatestChange



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Post Battle, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-25 04:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10757109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreatestChange/pseuds/GreatestChange
Summary: During the night after Kuvira's attack, Korra reflects on everything that's happened since she returned after those three years. Many things over the course of time have changed, including the feelings she was harboring for her best friend. But with every thing that happened to both her and Asami, would there ever be a right time for Korra to tell the other woman how she felt? And could those feelings even be returned at this point?





	A Mutual Feeling

Korra slid open the doors to her room as quietly as she could and walked in. After closing them, she cracked her neck and made a satisfied noised at the feeling of her knotted joints finally being relieved after such a long day. 

It was sometime around two in the morning, and everyone on Air Temple Island had been sound asleep from what she knew. It hadn’t exactly been the plan to be out so late, but there was so much that she had to do. 

Only a day had passed since Kuvira’s attack on Republic City, and she had been stuck in council meetings and helping with cleaning up the city as best as they could right now, what with the limited amount of resources they had. Buildings had been demolished, homes were destroyed, and now there was a new spirit portal in the middle of the city that Korra was sure people would complain about once they made their way back from the evacuation. 

But it would be worth it. 

After deciding to wait and take a shower in the morning, she stripping out of her clothes and put on a clean pair of night pants and a tank top. Now, feeling more comfortable, she walked over to the window and opened it, letting in the cool breeze. She sat on the ledge and pulled a knee up to her chest as she looked out passed the destruction in Republic City and to the bright, yellow beam that lit up the sky. 

Despite all of the madness that caused the new spirit portal to open, Korra was grateful. She was grateful that after everything she went through, somehow she was able to keep the connection to her spiritual side, and become stronger because of it. And now there was nothing else to do but move forward. 

That was easier said than done, though. 

There was a lot to be done, and it would take a long time to do it. Things needed to be rebuilt, people needed shelter, and the entire city as a whole needed to heal; including Korra herself from the fight she just endured. Luckily, she only came out of that with only a couple of scratches and bruises. 

She raised her hand and touched her cheek to feel at the small bandage that covered a scratch. It could have easily been healed with some waterbending, but Korra always like to have one or two battle wounds. It was a little thing she liked to call ‘warrior’s pride.’ She told Asami exactly that when the other woman was patching her up, to which she was only given a small smile as the bandage was placed on her cheek. 

Her chest tightened at the thought of her best friend. Unfortunately she hadn’t been able to be there for her as much as she could have been today. With Tenzin, President Raiko, and even Lin breathing down her neck about what the game plan was now, it was hard to even find a moment alone to herself. 

But it didn’t stop the longing need that Korra had to be with Asami. It was a feeling that had continued to grow over time; one that she knew all too well and wasn’t oblivious to at all. While those three years she took off to recover had been some of the hardest, they were also the best time for Korra to gain some perspective and insight on herself. It gave her the opportunity to think about Asami in a way that she never thought possible, which was exciting, but also terrifying. She had been in a terrible place back then; unknowing of if she could ever get back to the person she was before, and if she could meet everyone’s expectations. Asami’s included. 

However…

The day she walked into that restaurant and saw Asami again, all of that fear went away. All it took was one smile and Asami pulling her into waiting arms for a tight and warm hug, that Korra was able to find; if it was one thing she was sure about, it was _this_. 

Timing was the only thing that kept her from revealing what she’d been holding in for so long. First it was dealing with her own issues (to which she was still currently dealing with), then the whole Kuvira ordeal, and now with Hiroshi Sato’s death. 

Korra couldn’t imagine what level of trauma and emotional stress Asami was going through. _Both_ of her parents were now gone, and despite the smiles Korra saw her give and the reassurance that she was all right, Korra knew that it was forced. It made her even more frustrated that she hadn’t been there that much for Asami today, and that created a new level of doubt within her: 

Was it even fair to have these kinds of feelings for someone like Asami when being the Avatar would always need to come first? 

It was at these times she really wished she could talk to her past lives and get their insight. 

“Penny for your thoughts, Avatar?” 

“Ah!” Korra jumped and banged her head on the window ledge she was leaning back on. As she rubbed her head, she looked around her, trying to spot an intruder but finding no one. 

“Who’s there?” she called out. 

“Down here,” the friendly but unfamiliar voice said. 

Looking down where her feet were now dangling out the window, Korra saw a small, purplish spirit floating just a few feet below her. It smiled back, as if it hadn’t scared the crap out of her seconds ago. 

She sighed in relief, but gave the spirit a reprimanding look. 

“You shouldn’t go sneaking up on people like that. It’s a little rude.” 

“My apologies,” the spirit bowed its head. “I sensed an overwhelming energy over here. I should have known it would be the Avatar. You are the strongest of our worlds.” 

“Oh now you’re just trying to butter me up.” She reached out her hand and allowed the small spirit, no bigger than the palm of her hand, to settle on top of it. “Is there something you needed? Please tell me there aren’t any spirits wreaking havoc somewhere? I’ve had a long enough day as it is.” 

The spirit shook its head in amusement and giggled. “No, no, Avatar, there’s nothing to worry about on our side of things.” 

“Well that’s a relief.” 

“I do, however, get the sense that there is something wrong with you.” 

“E-excuse me?” Korra sputtered. 

“It’s your aura. I’m an empath, so I feel a lot of what everyone else around me is feeling. You, right now in particular, are feeling very anxious about something, and it’s also making you a little sad.” 

Korra shifted awkwardly. “Um…” 

“Oh, I guess I’m making you feel uncomfortable,” the spirit assessed. 

“No…No,” she sighed and looked back at Republic City, her eyes settling on the spirit portal once more. She noticed that more spirits were circling around it, like moths to a flame, although they moved fluidly, almost like they were dancing. 

“I was just thinking about someone, that’s all,” she said after a moment. 

“I see. This person is really important to you.” 

She couldn’t keep the small blush from appearing on her face. “Yeah. She is.” 

“You feel a genuine attraction to this woman.” 

It was a statement instead of a question, and that made Korra narrow her eyes. 

“Hey, pal, you can’t just go reading people like that. It’s very intrusive.” 

“So then, it’s true?” 

“W-well that’s not really the point I was trying to make—“

“Because what if I told you she felt the same for you?” 

Korra immediately froze, holding back on whatever it was she was saying to simply stare at the spirit in front of her with wide eyes. 

“…What?” she finally asked in a whisper, and even that was hard to voice. 

“I said that she feels the same for you—“

“Yeah, I heard you… But how could you possibly know something like that?”

“Well, before I came to you, I saw her.” 

“You saw Asami?” she practically yelled, though she immediately regretted it when she remembered where she was and how late it was. 

“Yes,” the spirit replied nonchalantly. “I saw her, but she didn’t see me. She’s out by the meditation pavilion.” 

“Asami’s _here_?” 

When the spirit nodded in confirmation, Korra felt her heart speed up. How was it possible that she didn’t know this? Then again, she hadn’t been at the temple all day, so a lot of things probably happened and she didn’t realize. But still! It was mind-boggling that she just spent a long time thinking about how much she missed Asami’s presence, when the other woman was apparently living just down the hall from her! 

“So I guess I was right,” the spirit said smugly. 

She was shaken from her thoughts, and when she realized what the spirit said, she bopped it on the head. 

“Would you quit that already?” she said. 

The spirit pouted and rubbed at the abused spot. “I was just trying to help. Besides, I think she needs some company right now. Something is wrong with her.” 

“What do you mean?” Korra panicked. “Is she okay? She’s not physically hurt, is she?” 

“No, nothing like that,” the spirit shook its head. “I’m just sensing that there is something deeply troubling her.” 

“Oh,” Korra sighed in somewhat relief, but that quickly turned into being disheartened. 

“You know why?” the spirit pressed. 

Korra ran her fingers through her hair and reluctantly said, “Her father died in the battle that happened just recently.” 

“Ah. It makes sense now.”

“What does?” 

“All of the things she feels: the sadness, the grief, the anger, the confusion. She’s lost at the moment.” 

“Oh…” 

But there is a bright spot in all of the darkness that’s clouding her mind, and it’s you, Avatar Korra.” 

She couldn’t deny that her breath hitched, or that her heart wasn’t about to explode in her chest from the overwhelming information, but it wasn’t right. It felt so incredibly wrong. 

“Stop,” Korra said, the roughness in her voice not going unnoticed even in her own ears. “Please stop.” 

When she looked down at the small ball of essence, she saw that it looked disappointed at being silenced. Her face softened. 

“I’m sorry if I offended you, little guy,” she said sincerely, giving the spirit a light pat on the head. “It’s not that you aren’t saying any of the right things that I want to hear, because trust me, it’s the total opposite. But… You aren’t the person I should be hearing this from. In this world, humans like talking about these things face to face. It brings us closer together.” 

The spirit sniffed and nodded. 

“My apologies, Avatar. I did not mean to interfere. Being an empath can prove to be very difficult, and this is one of those cases. You and that woman—“

“Asami,” Korra corrected. 

“You and Asami were within the same range, and the energies I felt coming from the two of you were overwhelming.” 

She swallowed and nodded. “It’s okay.” 

“I guess I should go apologize to her as well,” the spirit turned to leave. 

“ _No!”_ Korra cried out, which caused her to tip over and almost fall out of the window. The spirit bounced out of her hand, but luckily she caught it, along with her balance. 

“You don’t have to do that,” she said, this time more calmly. 

The spirit gave her a confused look. “Are you sure?” 

“Oh yes. I am definitely sure. I will handle it.” 

“Okay then.” 

The spirit floated away from her hands, revealing its purple wings.

“Sorry again for the interference. If we meet again, I will do my best to keep things from you.” 

“Err, thanks? I guess?” 

It gave her one last smile, and then disappeared in a glow of yellow and white. 

Korra squinted her eyes, watching the spirit go, but when it was gone, she let out a sigh and leaned her head against the edge of the window again. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down and keep her thoughts from racing. It wasn’t working, though. The spirit’s words echoed at the forefront of her mind. She wished she could ignore it, or better yet, forget it. But that was easier said than done. 

Instead, she placed it to the side, where it still echoed, but allowed her to gather some of her thoughts. The most important thing right now was Asami, and how she was feeling. Everything else was an afterthought. 

With that settled, she got up from the window and back into her room. After grabbing a pair of slippers, she took a deep breath and made her way out of the room.

* * *

 There was always a calming breeze that swept through Air Temple Island, making everything feel so still, and the only thing you could hear was the sound of the water from Yue Bay swooshing back and forth. 

The pavilion was lit up in bright amber, making it stick out like a lamppost. When Korra walked down the stoned path that led to it, she stopped when she saw a familiar womanly figure sitting on top of the wooden railing with their back facing her. 

Asami’s hair was loose from its normal style of being pulled back. She was wearing a purple robe that hung off her bare shoulders, revealing the straps of the nightgown she was most likely wearing underneath. 

Korra felt nervous suddenly. She couldn’t see Asami’s face, but she could tell the other woman was in deep thought. Her shoulders were slumped, and her posture was relaxed. Maybe the spirit had been wrong and she really wanted to be alone? 

When she made her way up to the pavilion, she stopped just shy of the one step that went up to it. She worried her lip and began to second-guess herself. But before she even had a chance to make up her mind, Asami’s head turned in her direction. 

“Is that you, Korra?” she spoke softly. 

Korra stepped onto the pavilion. “Yeah, it’s me.”

Asami only nodded and looked to the front again. Taking that as a sign she wanted to be alone, Korra began to retreat. 

“It’s really nice out here at night, don’t you think?” 

Korra stopped mid-step from coming off the pavilion and turned to the darker haired woman again. She walked up and stood beside Asami, then slowly leaned her elbows on the railing. When she looked up, she finally got to see Asami’s face. Bright green eyes stared up at the sky. The light coming from the pavilion highlighted her face perfectly. 

“It is,” she said, looking to the sky as well. “It’s kind of the best place to meditate.” 

“Kind of?” Asami turned to her finally and gave a small, but amused smile. When their eyes locked, Korra didn’t respond. She took the time to run her eyes over Asami’s face, seeing underneath the amusement how sad her eyes were. 

“Well, if you compare it to the spirit world, this place just doesn’t measure up.” 

“Hmm,” Asami looked away. “The spirit world, huh?” 

“Yeah,” Korra said and, after making a decision, hoisted herself on top of the rail, as well, though she was facing the opposite way of Asami. “It’s peaceful and, for the most part, there’s no disruptions. Sometimes I feel like I could lose myself there… and it wouldn’t be such a bad thing.” 

Asami was quiet. The wind began to pick up and Korra shivered. If she was cold, she could only imagine how Asami was doing in only a nightdress and robe. She was about to suggest they go inside, but then Asami spoke. 

“Are there people in the spirit world?” 

Korra looked at her and saw that she was still looking off in the distance. 

“There are. But you would need to have a strong connection to the spirits. And the only one I’ve seen there so far is Iroh.” 

She smiled to herself, thinking of the wise, old man. She’d have to visit him soon. 

“My mother was spiritual in a sense,” Asami said. “She always liked reading those ancient history books that talked about the old spirits and their ties to this world. I’m pretty sure her and my dad would get into arguments about who owned the land first; the spirits or the humans.” 

A small smile appeared on her face as she remembered that time, looking nostalgic. 

“She used to always read to me before bed. I think her favorite story was the one about the Painted Lady and how her connection to the spirits and nature granted her the gift of being able to transcend into the spirit world.” 

“It’s a nice story,” Korra commented, her voice just as soft as Asami’s. 

“Yeah,” Asami paused and brushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “But I was never really into that stuff.” 

Korra gave her a questioning look, waiting for her to continue. Asami swung her feet back and forth, watching the water below her. 

“I told you before that I had always been a daddy’s girl, and it was true. He and I thought alike, we loved inventing, we loved science. If there wasn’t a logical reasoning behind it, we had no interest for it. And even when my mom died… I mean, I _tried_ to become more interested in it, and I even read all of the books she had, but it still never resonated with me. So, for a long time, I thought she would’ve been so disappointed in who I had become.” 

Korra didn’t know what to say at first. For as long as she’d known Asami, she never spoke about her mother. It was surprising to say the least, but it also made Korra realize that she had never bothered to ask. It put things into perspective for her; that she knew so little about her best friend and the woman she had feelings for. 

“I guess that’s why I’m glad I met you.” 

Her eyes widened. 

“Me?” 

Asami chuckled. Those few seconds of hearing her laugh were like music to Korra’s ears. 

“Yeah, _you_ ,” Asami looked at her and her expression turned serious again. “You’re the Avatar, after all; the bridge between the two worlds.” 

“Oh…” Korra said, feeling slightly disappointed at that. “Well, it took me a while to get in touch with my spiritual side, and for a while I thought I would never be able to. I felt like such a failure to all of the previous Avatar’s before me.” 

“You’re not a failure.” 

“And neither are you,” Korra shifted so she could see the other woman better. “You’ve been through a lot in your life, Asami, so it’s understandable if you didn’t feel that kind of connection the way your mother did. It’s nothing to feel ashamed about.” 

Asami looked at her. A plethora of emotions flickered across her face, and then she gave a tired smile. 

“I suppose you’re right. I just wish I would have known or seen what I have now back then when I was six years old. But I guess I can look at this as you being my second chance.” 

“What, you mean like fate?” Korra asked jokingly. 

“That’s one way of looking at it.” 

When their eyes locked this time around, their gazes held. Korra swallowed thickly. She felt something pass between them. Kind of like that breeze on Air Temple Island that left everything so still and quiet. For a moment the ruins of Republic City didn’t exist behind her, nor was there the overwhelming need to be the Avatar and be everywhere at once. All that existed was the girl in front of her and what _she_ needed. 

The stillness was broken when a gust of wind came and made her shiver.

“Is there anything I can get you?” she asked. “We can go inside and I can make you some tea.” 

Asami shook her head and looked away. “No. I’m fine. But thank you.” 

“No problem.” 

There was a long period of silence after that, and it was enough for Korra to work up the courage to ask the next question. 

“Is there anything you need from _me_?” 

Asami didn’t respond at first, and it made Korra anxious. Maybe it had been the wrong thing to ask? Or she should have just waited for Asami to come to her on her own? 

Those thoughts were put to rest when Asami leaned over and rested her head on Korra’s shoulder. 

“Can you just… stay here with me, please?” 

Korra had never heard Asami’s voice sound like it did; so small and almost child like. It was so uncharacteristic, and it made it that much more heartbreaking.

So many people in Asami’s life had left her or wronged her, including Korra herself. It made her angry when she thought about it; that she had been one of those people to cause her now best friend pain, or made her feel lonely. Those three years away she spent trying to better herself and her health, which were very valid reasons, but that didn’t mean she had to leave Asami in the dark. And it wasn’t that Korra never thought about her, in fact she thought about Asami a lot of those days: about what she was doing when she wasn’t writing Korra letters, or whom she was with. And those thoughts were painful at times, as well, thinking about Asami moving on without her. 

But Asami _had_ been hurting. She just knew how to hide it well. And how Korra could tell was because she was just as much the same when it came to keeping all of the hard stuff bottled in and rarely letting it out in front of anyone. 

But now… 

Korra wanted different things. It took her a while to realize it, but all of her fears; all of her hopes, and all of her dreams were things she _did_ want to share, but with one person only. 

She let out a shaky breath and placed a hand on Asami’s back, rubbing it gently to calm down the tremors she felt. 

“Yeah,” she whispered back. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

* * *

 It was close to four in the morning when Korra convinced Asami to come back inside. It was much cooler out, and she could feel Asami shivering under her arm as she dozed off on her arm. 

They didn’t talk as they made their way to Asami’s room 

They stepped up to the double doors and Korra slid them open. When she turned to Asami, tired green eyes stared back at her. 

She chewed on her bottom lip, thinking for a minute. She remembered how after she was poisoned by Zaheer, Asami was by her bedside for those few weeks she remained on the island. At the time she hadn’t really appreciated it because it only made her feel even more useless, and Asami knew that, but still she stayed close by and was always there for Korra whether she wanted the help or not. Back then Korra was so wrapped up in her own mind that she couldn’t understand why Asami cared so much and went to such great lengths for her. 

 _‘What if I told you she felt the same for you?’_  

Korra shook her head, trying to push that conversation she had with the lurking spirit to the back of her mind like she successfully did earlier. 

“Are you okay?” she heard Asami ask, voice full of concern. 

“Yeah,” she played it off. “I just… remembered something.” 

“Oh. All right.” 

Korra hated lying to the other woman, but right now wasn’t the best time to talk about all of the insight she accidentally discovered. It was hard, though. Everything between them currently felt so unbalanced, and it was so unfair. Once again, timing really did manage to screw with her, and right now she needed to swallow down whatever words threatened to spill from her lips.

She stood in place as she watched Asami walk into the room. The darker haired woman shrugged out of her robe and threw it on the chair in front of the desk. Her back was still to Korra, but for some reason she paused and stared at the bed in front of her. 

“Asami?” Korra took a step into the room. 

“I lied to Tenzin.” 

“Huh?” she asked, confused now. 

“I told him that my house was seriously damaged in Kuvira’s attack. I lied.” 

“Oh…” 

Asami hugged herself, and stayed quiet for another few seconds before speaking again. 

“I tried to go home today, but I only made it up the steps. I remembered that Mako and Bolin’s family weren’t there due to the evacuation, and that I’d be alone. Then I just walked away, and before I knew it I was on Air Temple Island lying through my teeth.” 

Korra walked up and placed her hand on Asami’s shoulder, turning the other woman to her. 

“You know you’re welcome here anytime, right? You didn’t have to lie. We’re happy to have you here.” 

Asami shrugged. “It’s easier… making up excuses than admitting you feel alone.” 

“You’re not alone,” Korra reassured, squeezing her shoulder. 

Asami raised her hand and placed it on top of Korra’s. “Thank you.” 

Korra smiled back. “You’re welcome.” 

Asami pulled away and made her way over to the bed. After pulling the sheets back, she got inside. 

“I guess that’s my cue to leave, right?” Korra tried to joke. 

“Quite the contrary, actually,” Asami replied. 

There was a moment of pause, and then Korra blinked. She was trying to figure out if she heard that right, but when she realized she did, her heart began to pound. 

So far, this night was proving to be the most peculiar. She hadn’t expected a spirit to come to her in the middle of the night, or to tell her that the woman she had feelings for possibly returned those feelings. Nor did she expect to stay out until almost the crack of dawn holding said woman. And now this… sleeping in the same bed with Asami… 

Korra stared, and Asami stared right back, clearly indicating that the ball was in Korra’s court now. 

She swallowed and turned around, then walked over to the doors and paused momentarily, before reaching out and slowly closing them until they shut firmly. Running her fingers through her hair, she made her way over to the bed. It was so dark in the room now, with the only source of light coming from the moon through the window beside Asami’s bed. Korra stopped just shy of it.

“You’re sure about this?” she asked. 

“There are a lot of things I haven’t been sure about these past few days. This isn’t one of them.” 

With that as confirmation, Korra closed the distance between her and the bed and sat down on the empty side. After removing her slippers she pulled the covers back and got in, accidentally brushing up against Asami’s leg in the process. 

“Sorry,” she mumbled. 

“It’s okay.” 

They were silent after that. Korra looked around the room at the plain walls. She wondered how long Asami would stay, and if so, maybe she could convince Tenzin to let her decorate the room a little to make the other woman feel more at home. 

Just then, she remembered what Asami said before she got in the bed and decided to ask her about it. 

“Do you want to share some of those things?” 

“Hmm?” 

When Korra looked over, she saw that Asami’s eyes were closed, even though they were both still sitting up. 

“You said there were some things you felt you weren’t sure about. Do you want to talk about it?” 

Asami finally opened her eyes and looked at her. 

“I don’t think I can,” she said. 

“Why not?” Korra inquired. 

“Because… there’s so much going on in my head right now, and if I talk about it—if I talk about what happened, I might break, and I don’t want that. Not right now. Especially when there are so many other things going on.” 

“Asami, it’s just us right now,” Korra said carefully, shifting her body and turning toward her. “You don’t have to hold yourself back. It’s okay to not be okay, you know?” 

Asami didn’t reply and looked away. Then, without a word, she laid down flat on her back and covered her face with her arm. 

Korra’s heart wrenched as she watched her best friend start to break down in front of her. She knew that it was a good thing for Asami to let out these emotions, but it still wasn’t anything she wished to have to see her go through. 

“I wish I didn’t miss him this much,” Asami’s voice broke. “Why do I even miss him?” 

“He was your father.” 

“Yeah, well he was still a pretty bad guy.”

“I thought you forgave him for all of that?” 

“I did…” 

“So why—“ 

“Because it’s easier this way!” Asami snapped. “It’s easier to remember him as the bad guy that terrorized a group of people, then as the dad I knew my whole life who would have risked it all for me.” 

Korra didn’t respond at first. She couldn’t even fathom how Asami was feeling, since she had never known what it was like to lose a parent. There were close calls, and those were awful, but she never knew what true loss was. It was something that all of her friends had in common. It made her wonder if Asami would feel better talking with Mako and Bolin about this, since they probably knew all too well how she felt. 

She looked down at Asami, who still had her arm covering her face. 

“Hey,” she spoke softly, but when there was no reply, she leaned down and wrapped her hand around Asami’s wrist. “Please look at me.” 

Asami hesitated, but finally moved her arm. Bright, green eyes were filled with unshed tears that threatened to fall at any minute. 

“It may feel easier for you to hate him right now,” Korra started, “but you and I both know that won’t make you feel any better. Your dad may not have been the best man in the world, but in the end he proved himself to be a pretty decent father, at least. Everything he did, he did it for you. So don’t hate him, Asami. Let yourself feel what you really feel.” 

The tears fell from Asami’s eyes, and Korra felt the wrist in her hand go limp. She sank down onto the mattress and got on her side, then she gently pulled Asami to her. Asami came willingly and wrapped her arm around Korra’s torso before burying her face in Korra’s neck. 

“I don’t want to be alone,” she said through shortened breaths and stutters.

Korra shook her head. “You’re not, I promise.” She heard Asami mumble something else into her shoulder, but she didn’t hear it clearly enough. 

“What?” she asked. 

The only response she received was a shake of the head. Asami continued to cry, and Korra didn’t try to say anything else. She settled for gently stroking the other woman’s hair. 

She wished there was something else she could do. Being a shoulder to cry on didn’t feel like it was enough. She was the Avatar. She had faced so many obstacles in her life, dealt with so many things that would have killed anyone else if they dared to even try. And yet now, after all of the lessons she learned, and how much she grew over the years, she was at a loss of what to do for something as simple as comforting her best friend. It made her wonder if this was how Asami felt when she was taking care of her. 

It felt like an hour had passed when the cries finally died down and shallow breaths became more even. Soon enough, Korra felt soft puffs of air on her neck, indicating that Asami had fallen asleep. 

Korra pulled back to stare at the emotionally depleted woman. There were tear streaks, and her eyelids, from what Korra could tell in the dark, were red and puffy. 

It was so unfair. That such a beautiful, smart, and kind woman was hurting so much deep down under the surface. Why did bad things happen to the people who least deserved it? She wondered. 

The arm around her waist loosened the more that Asami fell into deep sleep, but Korra couldn’t find it in her to move just yet. Instead, she continued to stroke her hand through Asami’s hair. Their faces weren’t that far apart now. She took a mental picture of the expression on her face, and engraved it into her memory. 

“For the rest of my life, I will do my best to make sure no one ever hurts you again,” she whispered to the sleeping woman. “That’s another promise.” 

Her hand stopped moving, and she felt her eyes growing heavy with sleep. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift off. The sun would probably rise in another hour or so, which meant she’d need to be up in another three. She didn’t mind it so much, though. If it meant getting to be with Asami when she needed Korra the most, Korra would never complain about the lack of sleep ever again. 

As she finally fell into deep slumber, she couldn’t help but think about how funny love was. 

 

* * *

**_One month later…_ **

“Welcome to the spirit world.” 

Asami let go of her hand and walked in front of her, taking in the beautiful open field of flowers and trees. Spirits were all around them, some flying above their heads, and others just below their feet. 

Everything looked so peaceful under the pink and purple hues from the sky. Korra smiled as she watched Asami looking all around her and experiencing this world for the first time ever. 

“I can’t believe I’m actually here,” Asami said, and then turned back to walk up to her. “It’s so beautiful, Korra.” 

To say that the look of contentment and joy on Asami’s face gave Korra a million butterflies in her stomach would have been an understatement. Being able to make her genuinely smile and laugh again had definitely been one of Korra’s greatest accomplishments this past month, and the month had been full of a lot of ups. 

A game plan had been set in motion between her and the Council on fixing and rebuilding Republic City, and everyone was willing to chip in and help them. Then there was Varrick and Zhu Li’s wedding, which utterly surprised Korra once she found out. And now she was on a full two weeks of vacation after months of hard fighting, dealing with her personal struggles, and successfully taking down an army. What made it even better was that she was finally alone with Asami, who had also been fairly busy with helping in the rebuilding of the city. 

The moments of sadness for Asami came few and far between, but when they did it was always at night, and Korra made sure she was there for most of them. Mako’s family was back in the Sato mansion, but Asami still spent a lot of her downtime at the Air Temple. If anyone batted an eyelash, Korra wouldn’t have noticed.

She was removed from her thoughts when a spirit in the form of a bird floated down to her. She smiled and lifted two fingers, letting the spirit rest on them. It reminded her of the night that empathy spirit came to her. 

“The spirit world is a pretty unpredictable place. You never know when the ground might drop out from under you…so stay close. I don’t want us to get separated.” 

“Me neither…” 

Korra lowered her hand and the spirit floated to the side of them. When she looked over, she noticed that Asami had been staring. 

“What?” she smiled. 

Asami smiled as well and then shook her head. 

“Nothing… I’m just glad we did this.” 

“Me, too.” Korra played with the straps of the bag hanging off her shoulders. “There’s a lot that I want to talk to you about.” 

“Like what?” 

Korra blushed and looked away. She suddenly felt incredibly nervous and shy.

“Just a lot of stuff that’s been on my mind,” she said and then quietly added, “about us.” 

Her palms felt sweaty as they tugged on the straps of her bag, and her heart was beating loud and fast with anticipation on what Asami would say next. They hadn’t talked about the nature of their relationship yet, though it was pretty obvious (to Korra, at least) that much had changed between them over the past month. 

“Well good, because there’s been a lot of stuff on my mind, too. For a long time.” 

Korra’s head snapped up and she looked at Asami, who had a warm look in her eyes.

All of the anxiety and embarrassment she felt instantly washed away. She should have known that with Asami everything would be easy. Once again, the other woman managed to surprise Korra with her understanding and genuine care.

With a confident smile, she turned to the open field once more and, from the corner of her eye, saw Asami do the same thing.

“So... Where do we start our vacation?”

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first time writing a long while, so I'm nervous, but also very satisfied with how this short little thing turned out. It's also my first Korrasami fic, so yay! I hope that this was a good enough start for the people who read this and that you'll welcome me with open arms. 
> 
> If you made it this far to the end, leave a comment!


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